Delta to continue nonstop Pittsburgh-to-Paris flight another year

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Delta Air Lines has extended its nonstop flight between Paris and Pittsburgh International Airport for another year.

Allegheny County executive Rich Fitzgerald announced this morning that the airline will operate the flight five days a week from May through October.

The airline began the service in June 2009 backed by $9 million in subsidies provided by the state and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development for the first two years.

The conference last year urged local businesses to book the flight as much as possible because of concerns that Delta could drop the service after Aug. 31.

Delta, however, ended up keeping the flight through the end of October.

The flight also will operate consistently five days a week in 2013. In the past the schedule has varied from four to five days a week.

Bradley D. Penrod, executive director of the Allegheny County Airport Authority, called the decision a "vote of confidence" in the region. He said load factors on the Paris flight have run between 75 to 80 percent.

The announcement was made during a ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the opening the airport's midfield terminal, which included a marching band, videos, and rally flags similar to Terrible Towels.